Hi folks -I'm going to be in Northern California for a week in the first half of October and am planning a weekend visit to Yosemite during the trip. I'm wondering if there's any particular photographic opportunity at that time of the year that I should be aware of? It would be my first visit there and two days isn't a whole lot of time to cover all the possibilities.

Hi folks -I'm going to be in Northern California for a week in the first half of October and am planning a weekend visit to Yosemite during the trip. I'm wondering if there's any particular photographic opportunity at that time of the year that I should be aware of? It would be my first visit there and two days isn't a whole lot of time to cover all the possibilities.

Even if the colors haven't changed then, you will still have a nice trip!

Fall has been dry, so far, and the weather is still mild. No frosts to speak of to turn the leaves golden.

So far the reports from the High Sierra east of Yosemite along US 395 have reported only a few trees at the upper elevations turning slightly. However, a cold front could change things in days, though none are predicted.

A good source of info for California Fall Colors is on the Calphoto.com website, which I use to plan my falls and spring with wildflower reports. Sometimes the info is a couple of days late; othertimes it's pretty right on. Your results will probably vary.

I'm afraid that's about the worst time of year for waterfalls. Some of them may even be practically dry. May & June is usually the best time for waterfalls there...

If the Glacier Point road is still open (which is quite likely; it closes for the winter after the first significant snowfall, but that hasn't happened yet), then it's a must-do. If the valley is getting too crowded for your taste or you want something a little different, then the road over the high country to Tioga Pass is worth it (again, it closes after the first significant snowfall), and has some fine hiking trails with far fewer people.

Hello Peter. I agree with Lisa-the trip to Glacier Point is worth the drive (weather permitting). I was up there in October last year for sunrise and it gave me the goosebumps it was so beautiful, notwithstanding it was ~25 degrees F in the morning. My question to you is how much time you want to spend in your car? Yosemite is an amazing place, so you might want to spend your time on and around the valley floor checking it out. As Lisa stated, the east side of the park over Tioga pass is spectacular, but a good 1.5 hour drive from the valley. If you decide to do this, keep going over Tioga to Lee Vining and fit in a shoot at Mono Lake as well as the fall color in Lee Vining Canyon (and other adjacent canyons too, including June Lake Loop). However, that is a big agenda for two days and tires me out just thinking about it. I am going up to the Eastern Sierra in a week for the fall foilage, so I will post again after I get back if something jumps out at me. Have a great trip and enjoy Yosemite.

Note this is STANDING IN YOSEMITE FALLS... at the top. Walk 30 feet forward and you have a 2000 foot drop. So, as you can see, it is bone dry as in the spring there are millions of gallons of water per minute that go straight through here. Still, it could be interesting.

It's a beautiful time of year in Yosemite, though I don't know that you'll get all that much for fall colors. I don't recall large numbers of trees that change color... it's mostly conifers which are green all year.

Note this is STANDING IN YOSEMITE FALLS... at the top. Walk 30 feet forward and you have a 2000 foot drop. So, as you can see, it is bone dry as in the spring there are millions of gallons of water per minute that go straight through here. Still, it could be interesting.

It's a beautiful time of year in Yosemite, though I don't know that you'll get all that much for fall colors. I don't recall large numbers of trees that change color... it's mostly conifers which are green all year.

But I recommend it highly. Yosemite is beautiful.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=225377\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I'm getting vertigo from looking at that pic and knowing what's just a few feet further along ...

Yes it is raining in Yosemite Valley. The snow level is supposed to drop to 8000 ft. This could temporarily close Tioga Pass. I really enjoy photography in Yosemite in the fall despite the fact that most waterfalls are dry. However, I don't think that the black oaks will be turning golden for about a month. I might drive up to tuolumne meadows where the willows are turning yellow and the billberry should be turning red. You can check out some of my images at www.yosemitecollection.com

Yes it is raining in Yosemite Valley. The snow level is supposed to drop to 8000 ft. This could temporarily close Tioga Pass. I really enjoy photography in Yosemite in the fall despite the fact that most waterfalls are dry. However, I don't think that the black oaks will be turning golden for about a month. I might drive up to tuolumne meadows where the willows are turning yellow and the billberry should be turning red. You can check out some of my images at www.yosemitecollection.com

The time for the black oaks, in my experience, is right at the end of October. That's when I'll head up there to shoot them and other fall colors in the Valley. In mid-October (e.g. in the next week) you might still catch a few aspen colors in the high country, but these opportunities are better on the east side of the Sierra.

The time for the black oaks, in my experience, is right at the end of October. That's when I'll head up there to shoot them and other fall colors in the Valley. In mid-October (e.g. in the next week) you might still catch a few aspen colors in the high country, but these opportunities are better on the east side of the Sierra.

Dan

The aspen are really hurting this year. I was just up Hyw 108 / sonora pass last week, and most of the aspen leaves were brown - almost burnt looking...OTOH, my friend who's a climbing guide in Yo. just called me today to say that there are great fall colors showing up around the crane flat area, and the black oaks were starting to turn as well.

The time for the black oaks, in my experience, is right at the end of October. That's when I'll head up there to shoot them and other fall colors in the Valley. In mid-October (e.g. in the next week) you might still catch a few aspen colors in the high country, but these opportunities are better on the east side of the Sierra.

Dan

Following up on my own post, I spent two (very wet) days in Yosemite Valley during the first weekend of October and there was quite good color from the oaks, maples, and to some extent the dogwoods. I suspect there was still some color this weekend, but things should probably taper off from here on.